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L4W:Setting:Races
Dragonborn Until recently dragonborn were quite rare in the area of the shifting seas around the Transitive Isles, appearing in small bands of mercenaries. A few lived in Daunton of course and a small band is said to rove the seas as "ethical pirates". Dragonborn were more prevalent during the time of Allaria; where they build a virtually-monotheistic country on its southern fringe, and waged a centuries long conflict with the serpent folk of what is now called the Unending Mire. Though ultimately wiped out as Allaria itself fell there are occasional rumors of dragonborn who still follow the old codes and continue their unending battle. (see Skalisss' backstory for more). Dragonborn currently dominate the upper ranks of the Kingdom of Jade. With the fall of the Jade Emperor to the touch of the shadow the survivors have shifted to full war footing, and the disgraced genasi noble families have been replaced by their loyal servants and warriors, the Dragonborn. Dragonborn from the Jade Empire have grown more common on Daunton, the most prominent Dragonborn in the city is Madame Redscale; she seems to have close to twenty burly and aggressive young claws. Her neighbors in the upscale neighborhood she lives in are "quite sure she's happy to have so many big strong sons". Both native Dragonborn and those from the Kingdom share a culture that embraces and emphasizes honor; but the immigrants are much more extreme living -- an intense ascetic lifestyle that verges on religion. Some of the natives are inspired by this intensity, others see it as "self-absorbed, impractical scale polishing" Dwarf Dwarves are the largest and by far the most prosperous group in the Valley of Bone. Savage in appearance, visiting traders who have attempted to take advantage of the "primitives and their gold" have found them cunning, wily and ruthless. They also have an odd sense of black humor and an intense disdain for fear of death. Few dwarves choose to flee the destruction of Allaria to Daunton (at that time called New Daunton); but those that did settled on Mykronos' Sanctuary living simple lives at the base of the monastery. They remember the Kingdom with much greater clarity than the shorter lived races. The destruction of Allaria is not something that happened in the distant past, but something their grandfathers and grandmothers experienced. The destructive forces unleashed by the Brotherhood of the Bright Eon drove them from the island to Daunton over a year ago; having fled their homes a second time in the face of evil many younger dwarves are rejecting the simple lives lived by their parents to become more active. Some of this younger generation feel particular hostility toward the Imperium outpost set up on the isle of their birth others direct their ire against the Dauntonians who ignored their plight. Others are striving to overcome, or even learn, from their travails. Dwarves with a Viking style might come from Valhyr or Surtyr. Eladrin Eladrin dominate the Imperium as its leaders, masters of oratory and blessed with long lives they dominate the senate (where once elected one serves for life) driving it forward and spreading civilization across the cosmos. Eladrin are the rarest of the Great Races who formed Allaria. They left the lands of the fey long ago, but they still remember it's touch. After the destruction of their home many forsook their long-lives transforming into elves but a handful of those who escaped Allaria could not give up their nature, and seeing themselves as Allarians still dwell among the "survivors". Old legends among the gnomes tell of other eladrin, apparently unconnected to (or possibly predating) the Imperium, who lived on Kythra in a fantastic palaces. The gnomes refuse to discuss them now, though some explorers have reported artistic and beautiful ruins dotting the edge of the Shadowrift that slices through the center of the isle. Elf Virtually the same race as the Eladrin, the Elves have given up their connection to the faerie. While the practice was frowned upon by Eladrin in the past the destruction of Allaria drove most of the Eladrin to forsake their long lives, and the painful memories of the Destruction*. Another groups of elves, calling themselves the Veritas have developed a fiercesome reputation as assassins. Driven by the shame of the excesses of the Imperium, have also reportedly forsaken their race; their two century campaign of assassination and murder has only recently (as they see it) come to a stop with the armisti between the Imperium and the Veritas. *=I assume that this involves petitioning the goddess Peresefa (since both fey and nature are her perviews and she's also changed in reaction to tragedy she's willing to bless and effect the change) Half-Elves Half-elves are born wherever humans and elves or eladrin live together. While some half-elves are the result of interracial marriages, the fall of Allaria had a particularly devastating effect on the elvin/eladrin psyche, and a handful were driven into bouts of hedonistic excess from which some of the half-elves of Daunton draw their roots. The Temperavir are the upper middle class of the Imperium, a vast strata of bureaucrats, technicians and skills laborers who both oversee the day to day operations of the Imperium and act as its most common faces abroad. While some are still tied to their Eladrin "patron" in small sub-clans, many are simple Temperavir. Halflings The halflings are the only race that maintains their lands in Allaria. Publicly they appear to be staunch pacifists, greeting would-be invaders with open doors and simple bread. Beloved of Erath and seen as "undignified prey" they live peaceable lives on the doorstep of the Empire of Hzaka. Rumors that they're sneaky little tricksters who house and support assassins that brings righteous revenge to the usurpers remain unsubstantiated. The savage tribes of Halflings in the Valley of Bone are rumored to be vicious man eaters. Humans Humans form the majority of Daunton (by the slimmest of margins... one person in two is human) and compromise the masses of empires like the Imperium and the Kingdom of Jade. Tieflings An unfortunate problem among all cultures (demons and devils are everywhere); a few cursed families have lived within Daunton and Bacarte for centuries, laboring under the stigma of their ancestors actions. As the shadow's reach grows longer and longer they are being born more frequently among the subjects of the Kingdom of Jade. Many of them would love to escape the Kingdom, where the stigma against them would be less unbearably strong. Doppelganger Few changelings are known to live openly in any land. Drow Exiled by the Imperium a thousand years ago, the drow are among the most feared and mysterious races. They are accepted in cosmopolitan Daunton but not loved. Most dwell around (and receive implicit protection from) the Temple of Day and Night The Gith The militant githyanki and monastic githzerai that are seen across the shifting seas predominantly come from Ea, a distant continent where they war with each other and additional parties. They have travelled to the realm from their respective planar homes to find a legendary figure that has heavily defined their pasts and now may return to resolve ancient conflicts. A different strain of githyanki can also be found in more limited numbers on the Isle of Laughing Gallows, a people of brutal cutthroats who engage in the vilest arts of piracy. Gnomes Gnomes live on Kythira, in the great mangrove forests that push outward from the Shadowrift to the edge of the shore; the gnomes say they have always been there, though scholars have theorized their ancestors were drawn by the same strong connection to the Feywild that would have attracted the Eladrin who dwelled there in legend. With their fey heritage gnomes get along well with with Eladrin when they meet, save for the domineering and serious (from the gnomes point of view) Eladrin of the Imperium. Goliaths Goliaths could come from any mountainous region. They are also prevalent in Valhyr and especially Surtyr. Bladelings Bladelings formed the majority of the population in the Norse-inspired region Valhyr. That land has succumbed to madness, but bladeling PCs with unusual background could still hail from there, or have been born aboard a refugee ship. Bladelings are also found in Surtyr. The Monstrous Races Bugbear Relatively civilized bugbears live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes used to plague the unsettled parts of Daunton's island; though they have not been seen in modern times. In Hzaka, bugbears often form regiments of scouts. Gnoll Relatively civilized gnolls live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes also plague larger islands in the shifting seas. Hzaka deploys gnolls mostly as marauders, for they don't always work well with other races. Too many incidents of them stopping on the middle of a fight to eat a fallen goblin "comrade"... Goblin Relatively civilized goblins live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes also plague larger islands in the shifting seas. Goblins form a large portion of the lower class population in the Empire of Hzaka. Hobgoblin Relatively civilized hobgoblins live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes also plague larger islands in the shifting seas. Hobgoblins are the most organized of the savage races, and form the majority of the leadership in both Bacarte and Hzaka. There are rumors that the hobgoblins of Bacarte fled Hzaka for unknown reasons... Kobold Relatively civilized kobolds live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes also plague larger islands in the shifting seas. Kobolds are often tasked with the defense of cities and camps in Hzaka, due to their skill with traps. Minotaur Relatively civilized minataurs live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. They are known to dwell in ancient ruins amongst certain islands of the shifting seas; some scholars have claimed that they were once a great race brought low by some calamity. Few who accidently land on the undeniably developed labyrinth filled isles have escaped to weight in. These ruined mazes are often found in proximity to orcish enclaves, and two races often engage in low level warfare raiding each other's islands in primitive ships Minotaurs are popular with hobgoblins in both Hzaka and Bacarte. The Empire of Hzaka is known to employ minotaurs as elite shock troops; as well as allow them to rise in its officer corps. On Bacarte the, still rare, creatures confer a great deal of prestige amongst the merchants where there are in great demand as bodyguards. Orc Relatively civilized orcs live amongst both the pirates of Bacarte and the Empire of Hzaka. Savage tribes also plague larger islands in the shifting seas; often in overgrown islands featuring primitive temples to demons. Scholars have theorized that the savage humanoids were once part of a druidic culture that turned to demon worship. These overgrown temple filled islands are often found in proximity to those of minotaurs, and the two races often engage in low level warfare raiding each other's islands in primitive ships. Orcs, being wild and fearless, are used by Hzaka as shock troops, and in Bacarte have a reputation as the most fearsome of boarding parties. Shadar-kai When the drow turned to demon worship after their exile, some balked, escaping into the Shadowfell and begging protection from Lauto. Of course, no bargain with the lord of the dark lands comes without a price. They were changed by the experience. Becoming a fusion of shadow and fey, they said to be a wedding present to his bride Peresefa; one that she was not thrilled to receive. Shifters Shifters lived on the isle the Allarians colonized with Daunton before the colony ships ever came; engaged in alternately brutal battles with bands of bugbears. Unlike the bugears shifters made a sort of peace with the settlers retreating to live deep in the untamed wilds on other parts of the island. Others slipped away to Kythira the Living Isle whether they were adopted into gnomish culture. Warforged The souls of loyal warriors are pledged to the old Kingdom of Allaria, and reborn through the magic of the creation forge (with no memories) to serve again. Now the kings are all dead, and there is only one creation forge left. Tended by a group of very old warforged, it turns out a new warforged sporadically, and even the old warforged can't predict when or how many the ancient forge will create. Now that the kingdom is dead some warforged have grown disillusioned and abandoned their mission, while others have adapted devoting themselves to an ideal of what Allaria stands for, or to the survivors of Allaria (i.e. Daunton). Reports of the creation of the warforged among the Imperium are not seriously credited with Daunton, yet. Nor are reports of a city called Autonomus, where the 'forged have created their own society. Category:L4W Category:L4W Setting